


all the fire that we cannot ignite

by abbyarcaine



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, F/F, Mild Gore, Wishverse!Penelope, because wishverse!penelope is badass
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 02:40:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18240731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abbyarcaine/pseuds/abbyarcaine
Summary: “Where the hell am I?” She growls, her fangs still barred as she continues catching her breath. Alaric seems shocked and the blonde, who Penelope recognizes now as Caroline Forbes, approaches her cautiously.“You’re at the Salvatore School, Penelope.” The sound of her name startles her and she narrows her eyes at the blonde. Caroline kneels in front of her, extending her hand and offering a plastic cup.“Do you remember anything?” Alaric asks. Penelope narrows her eyes at him, taking in the clean cut man before her. The scar wasn’t there. His eyes weren’t empty. Something was wrong.or, in which wishverse!penelope finds her happy ending





	all the fire that we cannot ignite

**Author's Note:**

> i miss penelope and i really hope she comes back but here's another take of 1x10 because this has been stuck in my head since forever and i just can't not give wishverse!penelope a happy ending (though this is like also violent and dark posie in mind so ...)

 

As the world burned around her, all Penelope could think was where it all went wrong. Why, oh why, had everything truly gone wrong. Weaving in between the trees, she pushes forward, taking on the armed guards flanking her. “ _Icaeus_!”

The guards around her fly back from the spell as light flashes outwards. A roar from the others signal a victory, one that was shortly lived as more guards rush from deep within the forest. Behind her, a grenade soars through the air and she watches as it explodes a few feet in front of her.

“Penelope, run! Now!” Panic setting in, she turns to retreat, clutching her bag closely as more grenades are thrown into the mass of guards and supernaturals. In a haze of bright lights and explosions, Penelope speeds towards the safehouse. Turning around, she spots Alaric and Kaleb, standing their ground in a circle of guards.

“Penelope, go!” Alaric yells over the explosions, ducking under a punch and shooting his crossbow. “Do it now!” Penelope could only watch as everything escalated. The world was burning and supernaturals were burning with it. It needed to end now. With regret in her heart, she runs up the steps and stands waiting as the rest of her comrades moved forward in their attack. As the last witch steps forward to attack, Penelope catches Alaric’s eyes.

“ _Incendia_.”

~

 

The battle continues outside echoing with the sounds of screams and gunfire but Penelope ignores it all. Her mind is focused on her mission. When she had planned to use dark magic, she didn't think Alaric would allow her, nevertheless help her with it. But after everything that had happened, everything they’d endured together. It had been their last hope. And Penelope would be damned if she didn’t do everything in her power to make things right. For Hope, MG, Landon. For Josie.

Walking down the familiar corridors, she finds Alaric’s office and sets to work. She heaves her her bag onto the table and quickly dumps the contents out, spelling everything in order and igniting the candles.  

Reaching into herself, Penelope taps into her magic and channels all that she has. She can feel her body slowly giving out, her head aching as the magic within grows stronger. Closing her eyes, she begins to chant, the flames rising as the incantation takes hold.

“ _Phasmatos Manex, Un Domo Hax, Fero Adiuvex_.”

Raising her hands, Penelope opens her eyes as a gust of wind blows through the room. The candles snuff out and scatter. As darkness envelops the room, a part of her begins to panic, wondering if the spell worked. She had said the right incantation. There were six candles. It was ancestral magic, why didn't it work? Before she could move, she feels magic draining from her, the sheer force of it brings her down to her knees. Her hands clutch her head as the magic burns out of her, settling in the air around her. All Penelope can do is scream.

 

~

 

Penelope wakes up to a surge of magic coursing back into her. She opens her eyes and finds herself surrounded in darkness, drowning in the cover of trees. Stories of what lived across the living realm had described it as a personal hell, made from the caster’s own twisted subconscious. The thought of having done it, of crossing through, sends a wave of power through her once more. Then the realization begins setting in.

She still has her magic.

She gasps for breath as anger seems to overwhelm her and before she can stop it, a blast of energy flies outwards and everything seems to slow down. She watches as her magic shreds through the trees, as the darkness is suddenly set ablaze. Fire roars around her, seeping out of her. Penelope struggles to her feet, clutching her side as the pain seems to flare. Not now. Focusing on escaping, she limps away from the burning trees.

Her vision blurs as blood leaks down, staining her cheeks but she continues forward, limping out of the forest and into a familiar clearing. Summoning all the magic in her, she turns around and lifts her arms, shielding herself from the flames. Everything stills as Penelope falls to the ground again, the last thought in her mind is the sound of someone calling her name.

“Penelope!”

 

~

 

“She was… I don’t know how but—we cant tell Josie.”

Penelope was getting tired of passing out. The throbbing in her head was throwing her out of focus. The survival instinct in her was screaming at her to snap their necks and run. But a voice in the back of her head tells her to still, gather her bearings, and to listen. Her mind spins as she tries to listen, the voices muffled and with it an undercurrent of magic.

But the burn is back again and before she can open her eyes, she’s tumbled out of the bed, clutching her arm. The other occupants of the room startle and Penelope assesses each of them, her body going slack as she recognizes her rescuers.

Hope Mikaelson stands above her, a worried look etched on her face. To her left, Alaric looks on, guarded. A flash of blonde hair alerts her to another occupant but before Penelope can react, the burn intensifies, trailing up her arm and around her neck and she feels the veins beginning to protrude under her eyes. Holding in a scream, she speeds to the darkest corner, grunting as she collides into the wall.

“Where the hell am I?” She growls, her fangs still barred as she continues catching her breath. Alaric seems shocked and the blonde, who Penelope recognizes now as Caroline Forbes, approaches her cautiously.

“You’re at the Salvatore School, Penelope.” The sound of her name startles her and she narrows her eyes at the blonde. Caroline kneels in front of her, extending her hand and offering a plastic cup.

“Do you remember anything?” Alaric asks. Penelope narrows her eyes at him, taking in the clean cut man before her. The scar wasn’t there. His eyes weren’t empty. Something was wrong.

“No,” Penelope lies, staring defiantly. She switches her gaze back to Caroline, who sets the cup down in front of her. Penelope can smell the blood and she darts forward for it, her hunger overwhelming.

“Try again,” She looks up again and finds herself staring at Hope Mikaelson. This was all wrong. They were all dead. This couldn’t be happening.

“I can’t remember anything,” She repeats slower, assessing the room. Alaric always has a spare crossbow on him. Her daylight ring wasn’t working and she didn’t have enough blood or magic to heal. She couldn’t take on a vampire and a tribrid in her state and—

“It’s okay,” Caroline says, “Rest up. We can figure that out later. First, you need a daylight ring.” Her eyes widen at her acceptance and

“Do you have a ring on you?” Hope speaks up again from the far side of the room, near the window. She’s looking outside, her hand clutching the curtain, before meeting Penelope’s eyes again.

“Why?” Looking at all of them, she’s reminded of a time when everything was peaceful. When all her biggest worry was graduating from the Salvatore School and witch drama. When she had been happy. It’s coming back to her now.

“Why do you think?”

“No, I mean why are you helping me? You don’t even know me.”

They stare at one another and Penelope hates the pity she sees in her eyes. That intense look. She hates it, she’s starting to hate everything about _this_ and she needs to figure out what exactly went wrong with the spell but she can’t. Not without first gathering her strength. With resignation, she looks away and fiddles with the collar of her shirt.

“Fine. Here.” Penelope tugs at the chain around her neck, sliding off the silver ring with simple lapis lazuli stone nestled on it. She ignores Caroline’s quiet gasp and holds it out to Hope. Hope takes it, her eyes grateful, before moving to the window, extending her open palm with the ring and murmuring the incantation.

Penelope watches and keeps the spell in mind, cautious of the tribrid in front of her. Alaric and Caroline remain quiet, communicating through stares but nonetheless, holding their questions.

Penelope is relieved, she doesn’t want to rehash their deaths again and she doesn’t think it would help her case. For wherever she is exactly. Whatever world, whatever time. The war had taught her to never trust and she knows better than to hope that everything — the spell, the

Once Hope is done, she hands her the ring. Penelope takes it and weighs her options, feeling their gaze on her, before sliding it on her left ring finger.

“We’ll figure everything out later,” Caroline says, “Get some rest.” Alaric nods his affirmation and with that they both head to the door. Hope lingers, chancing another glance at her before leaving with them.

With the room empty, Penelope relaxes. She doesn’t know how she’s going to keep this up. Someone will notice soon. Especially now that others know of her….. other heritage. Examining the ring, Penelope speeds to the window, tentatively reaching for the curtains.  

Casting them open, she stands bathed in the sunlight and feels nothing. She breathes in deeply and feels for her magic, finding it there but muted. Great. She takes a sip from the cup, sighing as she feels strength returning to her. Testing her abilities, she focuses her senses heighten, her hearing picking up on Alaric’s voice.

“Did you see—?”

“The ring. I know.”

“She’s keeping something from us.”

“I know but she needs time—“

Her focus is jarred with the sound of a door slamming, footsteps and screams attracting attention. She freezes as the voices get nearer and the footsteps get closer. “Dad! Something’s wrong with Josie, she’s—”  Penelope speeds out the door and in a flash, her hand is around Lizzie’s neck, her eyes unseeing as the utter feeling of betrayal consumes her mind. Lizzie opens her mouth to scream but Penelope squeezes her hand harder, choking out the noise.

“Penelope!” Penelope finds herself pinned to the floor, Caroline holding her down, she’s talking to her but all she can see is red. She curls her lip and hisses, her fangs bared and she watches as Lizzie struggles to catch her breath. Alaric is at her side, comforting her but Lizzie is inconsolable. Rambling through her coughs, tears streaming down her face. 

Through her anger, Penelope deciphers whatever stupid thing Lizzie's rambling on about and she shoulders past Caroline, speeding out the door and into the sunlight. The quad is filled with students running and tripping over themselves, heading for the school gates. There's chaos swirling around her, all the screams, the panic. Speeding to the front of the gates, she finds them blown open, black SUVs crowding around and guards in tactical gear moving forward. There are students on the ground, vampires desiccating and witches clutching their heads. 

As the chaos continues, that sinking feeling takes hold as the guards take their aim. Bullet proof vests, military grade weaponry, and that crest. Penelope strikes. Going for the jugular, she takes out the nearest guard, relishing as fresh blood gushes down her throat. The guard screams and all eyes go to her as she drains him dry. She looks up to see guns drawn and aimed at her. Casting the body aside, she extends her arms.

" _Lecutio."_

The ground electrifies and moves to the guards, who drop their guns, screaming in pain. The guards recovering first pull knives and run for her. Penelope rolls her eyes at their incompetence and dodges the first strike, speeding around the guard and snapping his neck. As every guard comes for her, she ravishes them, leaving a trail of dead bodies in her wake. The last of them try to run, abandoning their attack in favor of the cover the forest provides. Penelope follows them, taking joy in their screams as she rips out their throats. The leader, proudly brandishing his gun, begins shooting at her but Penelope continues to stalk him, deflecting the bullets with her magic.

"How dare you? There are children here, innocent people." She flashes in front of his face and swings for his legs. With a yell, he goes down hard.

"Those aren't children, they're monsters!" He has the audacity to protest. Penelope has had enough and she thrusts her arm straight into his chest, feeling for his heart. 

"The only monster here is you." His body slackens in her grip as she pushes her hand through his chest and out the other side, his heart stilling. She swiftly pulls her hand back through, and he falls over, forgotten. Leaves rustling alert her to another danger, possibly another guard. Her face distorts to reveal her fangs and her eyes, and with the heart still in her hand and blood dripping down her chin, she whirls around ready for another round.

"J-Josie?"

**Author's Note:**

> if y’all have any prompts hmu @ parksaltzman on tumblr


End file.
